A typical transconductance stage has an output current that is roughly proportional to its input voltage for some range of input voltage. If the input voltage exceeds the maximum range, the output current of the typical transconductance stage goes to its maximum value. The maximum value is typically set by the tail current of the differential pair. The maximum current typically sets the slew rate of the output under the condition of a large input signal. If a faster slew rate is required, then the tail current typically must be larger, causing a larger quiescent current.